Control System For Automatic Sanitizer
In public places, disinfection sprays are used to disinfect the hands, which each person takes in hand and disinfects himself. This is a problem because if someone is infected with the COVID-19 virus, they don’t know it and use a disinfection spray, thus endangering all persons who use the disinfection spray afterwards.
What is it's purpose?
In order to reduce people’s contact with objects in public places.
The device using all over the Poland in public places such as:
entrance infirmary and hospital,
bank entrance,
entrance to market (food center),
entrance to public transportation and etc.
This is a device that is used for touchless hand disinfection. When the hands are moved to the unit, the sprinkler starts automatically. Using a distance sensor, it reads when someone moved their hands toward the device. When the hands are close enough, the sensor detects a proximity below 2-4 inch (5-10cm) a sprayer is fired which ejects the necessary amount of disinfectant. Amount of disinfectant shall be easily changed by client, if necessary (if it needs).
Story
One Polish company rans a Hand Disinfection Machine production. It was cool idea because market needs it due to COVID-19 pandemic situation an government restrictions.
Everything with metal shell prototyping goes well. Physical prototype looks awesome. Next they faced with huge problem. Electronic control system. One of they former supplier made old school piece. He thought that discrete open air opto- couple will be enough… It was disaster: control unit turns on randomly by light changes, by people comes over (comes around), sun light etc. Unlucky it was no time for wait and play around it, company already has got few orders for Hand Disinfection Machines.
Accidentally we had conversation with Senior Production Manager and he told me about that trouble. I offered my help. Few days after I learn the best hardware solutions and confirmed that I game.
Shortly I made the set of sensors for testing: ultrasonic HC-SR04, laser proximity meter VL53L0X, PIR motion detector AM312 and tiny fully integrated I2C- proximity meter with low IR wave length; 940nm.
For a for demonstration purposes I created demo device based on STM32F103 and 1602 LCD.
After testing of each one, the ultrasonic sensor approved and I’ve got this project. I decided to do my best and offered a lot of not expected options. Main specification:
• Cost effective, small PCB with modern parts, possibility for functions update,
• Low power consumption. Powered by 12V gel cell (AGM) battery,
• 500mA output for driving a peristaltic (roller) pump,
• Interactive color LED light for disinfection zone,
• Full contact less easy way to make setting via the cross-platform WEB interface,
• Built WiFi access point,
• Customer logos and trademarks in WEB user interface,
• Unique serial number for easy identification multiple devices,
• WiFi access point name should contain serial number (if in same place installed few Hand Disinfection Machines)
• User-friendly way for changing doze amount of disinfectant in mg or ml,
• Option for gate control (after disinfection, as a option, controller can send signal for gate opening),
• Gate control timeout,
• Battery control by Web and LED light,
• Option signal for control external devices such us thermocams or future purposes,
• Counter of disinfectant liquid rest,
• Disinfections counter (how disinfections done),
• Reset option for disinfections counter,
• Password protected service page for hardware settings, calibrations, colors and bright settings and firmware update.
Bit more than one week I provide few prototypes for testing. Of course some bugs fix needed. Days ago updated prototypes successful delivered. It was 12 first prototypes, all of them was installed in Hand Disinfection Machines and goes to clients in different cities of Poland.
Meanwhile I create PCB project. For illuminate eventual ultrasonic sensor liquid damage, I offered to replace it with tiny fully integrated I2C IR proximity meter. It was accepted and done. Within 10 days I got perfect quality target PCB boards from China. Next the control systems has been delivered to my client. Everybody happy!
Bingo! First order for 130 pcs of Control System For Hand Disinfection Machine comes very soon!
Next month next 200 pcs. And so on…
Till Feb, 2021 930 pcs of Control System For Hand Disinfection Machine successfully has been delivered by me.
Project description
Hardware.
Based on ESP8266 with 4MB SPI flash memory. Proximity meter- amazing tiny fully integrated I2C with low IR wave length, just 940nm. 6 Programmable color LEDs WS2812 as a light source. 2 layers PCB created in KiCAD.
WEB user interface
HTML 5 + few customized JavaScripts
Bootstrap 4
Graphics edited and prepared with GIMP
Firmware
Firmware is written in C
using PlatformIO
WEB user interface
Built-in application
Click here to watch the video:
